This Month: June 2017, part 1

Hey there, folks. So far, June has been pretty rough. The higher-than-normal levels of nerve pain post-relapse have remained higher-than-normal but there have been more okay-to-good days in the mix which is good.

Then, 10 days ago I went to the ER after sudden and severe pain on my right side that lasted for several hours and found out I had a decent sized kidney stone on my right side. A week of mild-discomfort-to-severe-pain followed. A few days were BAD. After a week, I saw a urologist (adding to my collection of -ists!) and learned there was another smaller stone on the opposite kidney. And that a big ovarian cyst is dilating the right kidney and putting a lot of pressure on the ureter, complicating everything. And then, during the exam, I learned that the ol' MS bladder dysfunction I've spent years pretending isn't a problem is very much still a problem and one that needs to be handled. So current life = usually uncomfortable with pain that is sometimes severe, going to the bathroom constantly and peeing in a strainer, waiting for the stones to pass, and dreading some upcoming bladder tests that sound like so much fun. This was the quick, summarized version of this story. A post or two will be coming about this in more detail. Because I have a lot of feelings.

Good things so far in June:

It's been pretty crappy overall, but I'm choosing to celebrate and feel gratitude for the parts that have been wonderful:

• catching up with HS-and-college-friend Blair
• seeing friend Ramona's magnificent dance show
• playing a symphony concert in the park and surviving thanks to a wonderful window of almost no kidney pain
• a lovely conversation and meal with friend Gwen after the concert
• a great book by a favorite author (Hallelujah Anyway by Anne Lamott) with an EXQUISITE design! even if I didn't love the book, every detail of the design of the book just makes me happy. (color! fonts! book shape/dimensions! the FEEL of the pages!)
• a perfect afternoon sitting in the backyard with my mom, reading our books, eating raspberries, enjoying the perfect temperature and light breeze and birdsong, and the perfect blue sky and fluffy clouds and green trees
• talking to my sistar on the phone for a whole hour!

The view from here:

this is my pee strainer. I love it so much.

living on the parade route is great because you can just step onto the
front step when you hear a band and then go back inside.

 

story of my life.

.

perfection